Sheet-register.



Patented Apr. 2, l90l. C G HARRIS sneer nsmsnn.

(Application filed Mar. 27, 1 900.)

2 Sheets-Sheen.

No. s7|,377.

(No Model.)

' Patented Apr. 2, I90I.

C G HARRIS SHEET REGISTER.

(Application filed Mar. 27, 1900-) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES GRANT HARRIS, OF NILES, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE HARRIS AUTOMATICPRESS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SHEET-REGISTER.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 671,377, dated April2, 1901.

Application filed March 27, 1900- Serial No. 10,341. (No model.)

To all whom it may concerm- Be it known that I, OHARLEs GRANT HAR- RIs,of Niles, in the county of Trumbull and State of Ohio, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Registers; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention contemplates certain new and useful improvements in meansfor effecting the side register of sheets of paper or other stock as thesame are being fed to a printing or other machine.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient meanscapable of being easily operated and which will insure the properpositioning of a sheet before it is taken up to be fed to the press.

The invention comprehends the employment of means for crimping orcorrugating and holding each sheet of paper or other stock while crimpedor corrugated against the top of a receiving-table and means wherebywhen the sheet is so crimped it will be bodily moved laterally to itsline of travel to the machine until it is properly positioned to be fedforward. The idea of means includes, preferably, a groove in or on thetable-top transversely to the line of travel, a rod or other suitabledevice for crimping the sheet by depressing it in the groove, and asideregistering plate, said plate and crimping device being relativelyadjustablethat is, the plate may be movedinto engagement with the edgeof the sheet While crimped, or if such plate be stationary the sheet ismoved bodily by moving longitudinally the depressing device or byimparting a like movement to a slide within the groove, between whichand the said device the paper is located, thus bringing the edge of thesheet against the side-registering plate. The crimping device may beelevated when the sheet is taken up by the feed-rolls, and at the sametime stops with which the forward edge of the sheet is caused toregister will be moved out of the way. I

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a View in perspective, showinga portion of a printing-press equipped with the present improvements.Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view with parts broken away. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal sectional view through a portion of the sheet-receivingtable. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a modified form in which thestrip in the table-groove is designed to be moved longitudinally. Fig. 5isa similar view showing the arrangement employed when thedepressing-bar is to be moved longitudinally.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the frame of a printing-press,parts only of which are shown.

While the improvements are indicated as applied to 2. Harris automaticpress, yet the use or application of the invention is not restricted.

a is the type-carrying cylinder; at, the impression-cylinder; a thefeed-rolls, and a one of the wheels of the train of gearing. (Notshown.) On the spokes of this wheel is a cam a in the form of a ringwith disconnected ends between two of the spokes.

B is the receiving-table, which may be provided with tapes I), mountedon suitable rollers journaled in the table-top. In the upper surface ofthis table, at the forward ends of the tapes and at right angles to theline of travel to the press, is a groove or recess 1. This may be formedin the table-top or in a separate piece affixed to or set in the latter.Within this groove, adjacent to one ofits walls,is a bar 2,which isapproximately square in cross-section, said bar extending throughout thelength of the groove. In the balance of the space in the latter betweenthe bar 2 and the forward wall of the groove is fitted a strip 3,extending the length of the groove.

0 is a plate forming a side-registering device, which extends across thegroove at right angles thereto and is secured at any desired point tothe bar 2, preferably by a removable screw passed througha slottedextension 3. In this plate 0 is an opening 4 to accommodate a'cross rodor roller 5, supported at its ends by arms 6, fast on a rock-shaft 7.This shaft is rocked just suflicient to raise the rod 5 so that it willrelease its hold on a sheet of on a shaft 9 and engaged by a cam 10.

paper by it held depressedin the table-groove. This may be accomplishedby an arm of said shaft engaging a lever B, loosely fulcrumed In theform shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the side registering is effected by thelateral movement of the plate 0 through the longitudinal movement of bar2, while in the forms shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 the plate 0 and its bar2 remain stationary, the lateral movement of the sheet being effectedaccording to the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4 by the longitudinalmovement of the strip 3 and according to the modification in Fig. 5 bythe longitudinal movement of rod 5. These movements to effect the sideregister may be accomplished by any suitable means. In Fig. l. I haveshown a lever 11 connected by a link 12 to one end of bar 2, one arm ofsaid lever being so bent as to be normally engaged by the cam on ofwheel a'. When the space between the disconnected ends of this cam isopposite the end of the lever, the latter is moved by the tension of aspring 13 in such manner as to effect the inner lateral movement of theside-registering plate as the bar 2 is moved longitudinally. In Fig. 4Bthe lever 11 is connected directly to an arm 14, projecting from in Fig.4, and for the same purpose the rod 5, Fig. 5, may be provided withsmall rings 17.

In practice it is necessary to arrest the forward movement of a sheetwhile and until it is positioned. For this purpose I employ stops 18 inthe form of arms 19, having up turned ends projecting through openingsin the table-top, said arms being fast on-shaft 9, which at one endcarries an arm 20, a roller in the end of which is engaged by a cam 21.The cams 10 and 21 may be formed in one piece, with their contours soarranged that as the cam 10 eflects the elevation of the depressor-rodthe cam 21 will cause the lowerin of the stops, thus permitting thepaper to loe taken up and fed forward by the feedrolls a The operationis as follows: As a sheet is received from a feeder (not shown) it iscarried forward by the tapes I), and passing over the groove and beneaththe depressorrod, the latter being raised sufficiently for the purpose,the sheet advances until arrested by the stops 18. At this moment therod 5 is lowered, causing the paper to be slightly depressed into thegroove, thereby forming a crimp or corrugation therein transversely ofthe table. As this occurs the bar 2 and plate 0 are moved inward throughthe action of spring 13-, and while the upper forward edge of the barwill have frictional contact with the paper, which is still helddepressed, it is insufficient to move the paper laterally against theresistance of the friction of rod 5 and the forward edge of the groove;but when the plate 0 strikes the side edge of the sheet it overcomes thefriction thereon and carries the sheet laterally until properlypositioned. The paper having been crimped or corrugated by being pressedin the groove, it is stiffened, while the corners or edges of thegrooveand the slide-bar 2 act as guides to hold the paper in a perfectlyrigid position as regards any displacement forward or back or any twistin the paper, thus making its lateral movement perfectly true and onlyso far as it is forced by the plate 0, the friction-rod and groove beingsufficient to prevent any over movement from inertia or back movement inthe return of slide 0 and its bar. Thus the sheet is held perfectly inposition by the rod 5 until the feed-rolls'feed it forward to thepress-cylinders. As this occurs the stops 18 are lowered, and at thesame time the rod 5 may be raised from the groove, or this lattermovement may be postponed if it is desired that the rod 5 assist tosmooth out the sheet as it is being carried forward by the feed-rolls,in which event said rod will be free to rotate in its supporting-arm.According to the form shown in 3 and 4 the bar 2 and slide 0 remainstationary, the lateral movement of the sheet being effected by thelongitudinal movement of the strip 3, while in the form shown in Fig. 5the side registering of a sheet is accomplished by the longitudinalmovement of the rod 5 while it holds the paper depressed in the groove.

The means employed for carrying out this invention are extremely simple,and the moving parts .are very light. The normal position of the latteris such that they interpose no obstacle to the free passage of thesheets in entering. By crimping or corrugating each sheet the paper isstiffened, making it possible to move up a close side register, and atthe same time creases which may be in the sheet are removed, with theresult that a closer side register is had with many sheets, which itwould otherwise be impossible to obtain even if such sheet be positioned'by hand, since when a sheet has a crease or fold it is liable to move alittle one way or the other when engaged by grippers unless such crease01' fold is ironed out in some way at the front of the sheet.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with printingo'r othermachine and a receiving-table, of a device extended transversely of thetable, means for moving said device bodily against and away from thetable for temporarily crimping or corrugating each sheet transversely asit passes over the table, and means independent of said device foreffecting the side register of such sheet while it is so crimped orcorrugated.

2. The combination with a printing or other machine and areceiving-table, of a device for temporarily crimping or corrugatingeach sheet transversely of the table as it passes thereover, means formoving said device bodily against and away from the table, asideregistering device, and means for moving the latter against the sideedge of the sheet as it is held crimped or corrugated, saidside-registering device being independent of the crimping device andmovable without affecting the latter, as set forth. 7

3. The combination with a printing or other machine,and areceiving-table having a groove at right angles to the line of travel ofthe sheets to the machine, of a device capable of being moved bodilyagainstand away from the ca ble for depressing a sheet of paper in saidgroove, a side-registering device, and means for moving the sheetlaterally while itis held depressed in the groove.

4. The combination with a printing or other machine,and areceiving-table havinga groove at right angles to the line of travel ofa sheet to the machine, of a device for depressing a sheet of paper insaid groove, for periodically raising said device out of the groove, 2.sideregistering device, and means for moving the latter against the sideedge of the sheet while it is held depressed in the groove. 7 5. Thecombination with a printing or other 1nachine,andareceiving-tablehavingagroove at right angles to the line of travel of the sheets to themachine, of a bar located in said groove fitted against one of the wallsthereof, a sideregistering device mounted on said bar and extending atright angles to said groove, a device for depressing a sheet of paper insaid groove between said bar and the opposite edge of the groove, andmeans for moving the sheet of paper laterally while it is held depressedwhereby its side edge and said device will be brought into engagementwith each other, as set forth.

6. The combination with a printing or other machine, and areceiving-table, of stops for arresting the forward edge of a sheet ofpaper, means for crimping or corrugatinga sheet transversely of saidtable, a side-registering device independent of said former device,means for moving the sheet laterally while it is crimped or corrugated,and means for removing said stops after the sheet has been properlypositioned.

7. The combination with a printing or other machine,andareceiving-tablehavinga groove at right angles to the line of travel of the sheets tothe machine, of a rod extended transversely of the table and designed tobe moved into and out of said groove, means for operating said rod, aside-registering device, and means for moving each sheet laterally whileit is held depressed by said rod, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with a printing or other machine,and a receiving-table having a groove at right angles to the line of travel of thesheets to the machine, of a rod extended transversely of the table anddesigned to be moved into and out of said groove, means for operatingsaid rod, a side-registering device, and means for moving the latteragainst the side edge of a sheet held depressed by said rod,substantially as set forth.

9. The combination with a printing or other machine and areceiving-table having a groove at right angles to the line of travel ofthe sheets to the machine, of a bar fitted in said groove against onewall thereof, a plate secured on said bar, a friction-rod designed toengage a sheet and depress it in said groove, means for raising andlowering said rod, and means for reciprocating said bar and plate, asset forth.

10. The combination with the table having a groove therein, of a barfitted in said groove against one of the walls thereof, a plate mountedon said bar and extended across said groove at right angles thereto,said plate having an opening formed therein, a rock-shaft having arms, afriction-rod supported by said arms and extended through said opening,means for reciprocating said bar, and means for rocking said shaft,substantially as set forth.

11. The combination with a table having a groove. therein, and alsoprovided with openings near its forward end, of a bar movablelongitudinally in said groove, a plate mounted on said bar at rightangles to the groove, a shaft having arms secured thereon, said armshaving upturned ends projecting through the openings in the table, anarm on the end of said shaft, a cam for engaging said arm, a spring-heldlever connected to said sliding bar, means for operating said lever, africtionrod movable above said groove, a shaft carrying said rod, asecond lever, a cam for acting thereon, and an arm on said rock-shaftdesigned to be engaged by said lever, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES GRANT HARRIS. Witnesses:

A. M. HENDERSON, F. G. ALLEN.

